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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · chip · wake · foot · ruler · pass · land · cap

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cap — of ice
  3. mate — a partner
  4. foot — a measure
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. mate — a friend
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cap — a lid
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cap — a hat
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com